Beat
is one of the protagonists from Eternal Sonata. Beat is a boy from the harbor city of Ritardondo, he looks up to his friend Allegretto like an older brother. Beat and Allegretto join Polka's journey to Forte in an attempt to lower taxes on items. Appearance and Personality Beat is an eight-year-old boy with brown hair and hazel eyes. He wears a yellow sailor outfit with a gray tunic underneath, gray leg guards, and yellow boots. His greatest treasure is a camera given to him by his father. Beat is cheerful and gets along with almost anyone he meets. Due to his young age he hardly understands some of he conversations the older members have, and believes no one is entirely evil. He has a complicated affection with Salsa. In the Trusty Bell manga, Beat has a brother/sister relationship with Polka. Fighting Style Beat uses a hammer gun as a weapon. He can use the rifle to shoot the enemy from afar and can use the hammer part for melee attacks. Due to his mixed fighting style he can be effective in either situation, but he excels at shooting from afar as he fires rapidly and can easily build up the Echo meter. He benefits against enemies with higher defense, since the damage from his gunshots can never be reduced to 0. This means he will always deal at least 1 point of damage, and can be used to build up Echo chains against stronger foes. Should he need to attack at close range, Sledgehammer and Power Smash are effective special moves which can destroy the target or knock it flat. Beat is the only character who can take pictures in battle, which can be sold for quick money. His downsides are his lower HP and defense stats in comparison to the other fighter types, but many of his later weapons and special attacks allow him to become self-sufficient. One of his rifles allows him to siphon HP from the target with every hit (and this can potentially double or even triple if he swings at close range against a cluster of enemies). His special move Vital Drain can drain a generous amount of energy from a group of enemies and restore his own in massive return. Later in the game Beat gets some weapons which can inflict status ailments, or increase his Speed stat. In Encore Mode his Silver Bullet accessory increases combos for Echoes when his attacks hit, allowing the party at least one Harmony Chain every round, especially when used in combination with other characters who are fast Echo builders. Beat's attacks are never powerfully damaging compared to heavy-hitting close-range attackers like Jazz or Allegretto, and though his defense is lower in comparison, being able to equip mid-weight armor allows him a slightly respectable parameter. Attacking at a distance Beat can escape damage from opponents that can only use melee moves, or provide a target that tempts them to spend time moving that could otherwise be used to attack. The only change made to Beat for the PlayStation 3 version is the photo quality requirements. In the 360 version the game had few restrictions for scoring an A on photos, giving the party access to easy money early on. The requirements for an excellent photo are stricter in the PlayStation 3 version, as there are some precise parameters the shopkeepers look for in the pictures. Some of Beat's dialogue indicates he is unused to combat, asking Allegretto for tips and worrying over the possibility of challenging battles. Nevertheless, he can hold his own in battles. Story Beginning of Journey Beat and Allegretto rob bread from the local bakery in Ritardando and deliver it to the orphans in the sewer. Later at night the two talk about Polka and her illness, having witnessed the girl use magic in town earlier prompting Allegretto to explain tp Beat it means she is ill. They decide to head out to Forte to speak with Count Waltz and the next day they set and wind up in Agogo Village and meet March, Polka, and Frederic. After Beat mentions Polka's magic use she runs away and is attacked by a monster, but Beat and the others defeat it. In March's Inn the group decides to adventure to Forte together since all four have a business in the city. Beat and the others find a sheep herder named Viola being attack by monsterous humanoids. After defeating the monsters, Beat and the others are educated on the effects of mineral powder on humans and Viola joins them on the pilgrimage to Forte. The group goes through Fort Fermata and make it to Forte Castle, but when they arrive and try to speak to Tuba they are forced to fight him. After defeating Tuba, they are arrested and thrown in prison. In the Forte Dungeon they meet March's older twin Salsa and escape through Andantino's secret passage. Outside the group meets Jazz, Falsetto, and Claves, members of the resistant group Andantino. They head out to the Cabasa Bridge, but are ambushed by Tuba and are forced to fight him again. Tuba knocks down the bridge sending the party plummeting into the Fusion River and Beat and the others are pulled into the current. Separation and Reunion Beat ends up with Polka, Frédéric, and Salsa at the Cabasa Bridge and are saved by Prince Crescendo and take refuge on his ship heading to Baroque. The ship is attack by pirates and Beat and the others infiltrate their ship to stop them. After defeating the pirate's leader they arrive in Baroque and stay there for a couple of days. After the celebrations the group tasked with meeting with Jazz by Crescendo and Serenade. Beat and the others make it back to Agogo Forest where they encounter Fugue and defeat him. The agogos begin to glow and reveal Polka's strong astra is behind the phenomenon. Beat and Frédéric arrive at Allegretto and Beat's hideout in Ritardanto and Allegretto informs the two on what happened in their absence. Allegretto and Beat decide to take Frédéric on a tour of Ritardando before Polka arrives, while out they see the Mandolin Church packed with people concerned that ghosts are haunting the building and are ordered to investigate it. While inside the church they meet March, Salsa, and Viola, and Allegretto pretends to be afraid of ghosts and tricks his way out of the job. Beat and the others investigate the basement of the church and defeat the monsters haunting the area, then head back to Ritardando and spend the night in the city. The Final Encounter The next day Beat and the others head to Baroque to speak with Prince Crescendo on what to do with Count Waltz. The party spends a week in Baroque waiting for the prince's decision, during which time Beat, Salsa, and Viola play cards in their room. When Jazz suggests they explore Baroque, Beat and the others travel to Aria Temple to learn about the nature of the astras. They encounter and defeat Watlz's minion Rondo, and defeat her with Falsetto's help. When the group returns to Baroque, Polka faints in front of the gates. Beat and the others head to Agogo Forest to find the Agogo Queen Mother and ask for her help. They encounter Fugue in the forest, threatening the Queen Mother; the party defeats him once and for all and takes the Queen Mother to Baroque to heal Polka. Prince Crescendo and Princess Serenade have gone to Forte to turn themselves in as prisoners in hopes of upholding peace between the two nations. The group heads to Mount Rock by way of the To Coda Ruins, passes through the dangerous mountain terrain and catches up with the prince and princess only to be ambushed by Count Waltz, his advisor Legato and his monstrous dragon fleet. Beat and the others defeat Count Waltz, but he forces Legato to drink a mineral powder potion that transforms him into a terrible monster. Legato tears open a hole in time and space and he and the count escape. The party follows them into the Elegy of the Moon, a city of lost souls of the victims of mineral powder. At top of the Double Reed Tower of Sand Beat and the others fight Count Waltz and Legato and after defeating the two, Waltz commands Legato to destroy the world itself. Beat and the others are sent to the destroyed Tenuto flower fields where they are forced to fight Frédéric who wants to end his life. After defeating their friend, Beat and the others regret there was no other choice. After Polka jumps off a cliff and is reborn, the world is restored. Special Attacks This is a complete list of Beat's Special Attacks. Some of Beat's moves were altered in the PlayStation 3 port, so he learns some abilities at different levels. Light Dark Gallery Es-beat4.jpg|Beat with his camera Beat's Level-Up Pose.jpg|Beat doing a Level Up pose Eternal Sonata Promotional Wallpaper - Beat.jpg|PS3 promotional wallpaper Eternal Sonata Promotional Wallpaper - Cast.jpg|PS3 promotional wallpaper with other characters Eternal Sonata Promotional Wallpaper - Beat (Xbox 360).jpg|Xbox 360 promotional wallpaper Beat with Bread.jpg|Beat, with bread stolen from Ritardando's baker Beat Holding Hammer Gun.jpg|Beat, holding his Hammer Gun Etymology In music, "beat" can have a number of meanings, but as a technical term is generally used to refer to the basic unit of time used to measure an aspect of a piece of music, such as tempo or rhythm.Wikipedia entry on Beat (music) His international name, "Piccolo," is a half-sized flute, a member of the woodwind family of instruments.Wikipedia entry on Piccolo Trivia *Beat is one of three characters that can be controlled in the field at various points in the game, along with Allegretto and Polka. Like them, he has an alternate costume in the PlayStation 3 version of the game. *The medal seen on Beat's two costumes is used in the save/load menu to indicate Game Clear and Encore Mode savefiles. *Beat is one of two characters in Eternal Sonata who can perform normal attacks from a distance, along with Viola. *In the French subtitles available in the game's PlayStation 3 release and in certain international versions, Beat's name is changed to Piccolo. A piccolo is a type of half-sized flute, a woodwind instrument. Notes and references Category:Playable characters